I was brought in to film Latin Jazz pianist extraordinaire Michel Camilo, an amazing performer that I am proud to say that I have had the honor and pleasure to work with previously. We have twice filmed him recording in the studio and on stage at the Blue Note in New York City.
Michel is a brilliant, extremely energetic composer/performer. He's won a Grammy, a Latin Grammy and an Emmy for is work and he plays every show as if it was his last chance opportunity to perform.
Jeff Davis, a long time friend and associate of Michel and his wife Sandra, arranged the recording session for Universal Records and also arranged to have us come in and film. The location was Avatar studios in NYC where only a few weeks before, we had been filming Alicia Keys. The studio staff is great to work with and very accommodating.
It was a Saturday and Sarah was not able to make the shoot. I was fortunate to be able to get my associate and good friend Danny Hoffman to come in and assist me. Dan is an experienced video professional in his own right, yet he can easily put the ego aside to assist me. Truly an asset when I have a limited amount of time to make things happen and need to move very quickly. We were also aided by John Sampson, a high school freshman that has just begun interning with us.
Every time we film in a recording studio it's a brand new adventure.
When possible, I like to get into the studio early to enhance the lighting, while the artists are still setting up and long before they actually begin recording. This way the performers are familiar with the cameras and the slightly higher level of illumination, right from the start.
Having said that, it's not always possible. Sometimes, due to the nature of the recording process, my actual access time with an artist might be limited and more time will be spent hanging out in the studio hallway or lunchroom, with equipment ready, doing what production crews know how to do best.
"Hurry up and wait".
It is rare that all the performers are in the same room. Often the percussionist, bass or other musicians are isolated in sound-proof rooms with glass panels so that the artists can see each other, while not over powering each other's sound. So, when possible, I try to incorporate more than one camera.
Even if it's just a small handy-cam type camera, the added production value of being able to cut between two artists relating to each, in sync, makes all the difference in the final film.
Lighting in recording studios generally sucks and is rarely designed with video in mind.
I try to keep my lighting as simple and as cool as possible. Small rooms heat up very quickly and respect to the artists and their environment is key. I try to work at an illumination level that will allow me to incorporate the existing lighting while still maintaining a complimentary light on the artist's faces. So soft, indirect lighting is usually the way I like to go.
Michel's percussionist for this CD was the incredible Giovanni Hildago, whom I've had the pleasure of working with previously while directing a PBS special with ex-Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and his Planet Drum project. Giovanni's performed brilliantly. His energy seems endless and he appears to have grown younger with time.
Giovanni Hildago
I used a Sony EX3 as my primary camera with an EX1 as my alternate angle camera and backup. As they are nearly identical, the resulting images match in both color and texture. With the correct profile setting, the EX cameras will work well in controlled, low light. Usually working at a lens setting between F=2.8-4.0, at 30P. On the primary camera I also used a Nanoflash recorder which automatically gives me a backup copy of my footage at a higher bit rate.
Charles Flores on bass
The EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is like a mini-documentary, composed of interviews, performance and perhaps some B-Roll (background footage) to help knit it all together. The Avatar tech supplied both cameras with an audio feed direct from the recording console, insuring the best possible sound and less audio complications when it come time to post the video.
There'll be no searching for the right take, it's there, locked right in the correct place.
Michel Camilo
Jeff Davis is a professional writer and great as an interviewer. He listens to his subjects as they speak, doesn't over-complicate the questions and he skips over questions that have already been answered. And to this end, all three performers gave terrific, enthusiastic interviews. There would be no doubt that these gentleman truly love what they do. They just seemed to say all the right stuff and you could see the edit points fall into place as they spoke. The EPK will almost edit itself.
I am looking forward to filming some New York footage just to compliment some of Michel's compositions.
Michel Performing at the Blue Note
Michel's Website
Crazy Duck's Website
Chuck Featured on Sony's VideOn Website
Jeff Davis' Website
